My Shadow Is To Your Light
by Jdkwinxgrl
Summary: Ventus doesn't know how he feels about the newcomer to his Land of Departure. Vanitas is sent to train under Master Erauqs in order to gain information and keep tabs on his group. But for some reason, an energetic blonde seems to have caught his eye instead.
1. A Starry Night

_*****HEY THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BY ANOTHERWORLD-AWAITS ON TUMBLR! CHECK HER OUT. This chapter has been reformatted to fit my tastes, so there's a few pronoun changes, nothing that majorly distracts from the original work.*****_

 _ **This was written WITHOUT Vanitas' helmet, while my part he has a helmet, but I kept his helmet-less in for fluff's sake here. Usual rules for my other fics apply here with the thoughts:** Vanitas, Ventus and **Sora**. _

* * *

**World: The Land of Departure**

 **Time: Midday**

Ventus opened his right eye, peeking over at Aqua who was meditating quietly.

"Ventus!" Master Eraqus boomed.

Ventus jumped, and Aqua sighed.

"Why must you break my concentration?" she asked.

"Ventus has to learn to keep his eyes shut during mediation or he's never going to be able to dive into his heart and discover his true power," Eraqus explained.

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for the spiritual side of being a Keyblade Master," Ventus admitted, running his fingers through his spiky blonde hair.

"I sure wasn't," Terra mentioned.

He was leaning against a training dummy, his keyblade swung over his shoulder. Aqua huffed and stood up, storming past him.

"I'll find a more private place to meditate," she said, leaving the training yard.

Terra shrugged. "She's always like this."

"You cannot ignore the spiritual side of your Keyblade training," Eraqus lectured him. He glared over at Terra. "And you shouldn't either."

Terra merely shrugged. Ventus was staring up at the sky, hardly paying any mind to him. He was always daydreaming. Eraqus stomped on the ground by his face, causing him to jump up again. Terra laughed.

"Are you listening to me?" Eraqus asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Ventus lied.

"Try again," Eraqus demanded. "And this time, don't open your eyes."

Ventus sighed in frustration, crossing his legs and closing his eyes reluctantly. He did everything Aqua and Eraqus had instructed him to do. He shut off his senses, focusing solely on the power he wielded inside of him. His heart…he was supposed to be able to feel it pulsing with power in the very depth of his being. He should be able to dive into his soul and access this power. Only then could he truly wield the keyblade properly.

But when he delved into the depths of his heart he became afraid. He was fractured, broken, and he felt himself spiraling down into an empty darkness. He clawed back up into his consciousness, his head aching. He gritted his teeth and stood up.

"My head hurts," Ventus mumbled.

"We'll try again tomorrow," Eraqus said.

 _You say that every day,_ Ventus thought.

Terra began to thrash away at the training dummy with his Keyblade, free to make all the noise he wanted now that Aqua was gone and Ven was done with his meditating session for the day. Ventus admired him, watching in awe as Terra wielded the keyblade beautifully.

 _We all have one dream. I know he'll achieve it someday..._ _But will I?_

The blonde continued to ponder. Ventus sat down in the grass on the edge of the training field, watching Eraqus instruct Terra. He lay back in the grass, closing his eyes. His head didn't hurt once he stopped trying to access the power in his heart.

 _I don't know what it is that's so terrifying. Maybe…no…_

He didn't remember much about his past and sometimes he wondered if his shattered heart was a testament to that. Maybe it was so horrible that he'd destroyed that part of his life and trying to access it now was the source of his pain. He kept this a secret from his friends and Master Eraqus however. What would they think? They'd think he was crazy is what they'd think.

"Why, Master Eraqus! It's been ages."

Ven sat up when he heard a dark, booming voice speak behind him. He looked back to see an old bald man in a dark coat come walking up, his arms spread out in a wide friendly gesture, his yellow eyes glimmering.

 _Why does he look so familiar?_

Master Eraqus smiled and paused his training with Terra to shake the man's hand.

"Master Xehanort, it's good to see you," Master Eraqus said. "And who's this?"

Ventus stood up to see the boy Eraqus was referring to. He walked up behind Master Xehanort, standing beside him with an air of confidence. He wore armor just like Ventus but it was black and red. His hair was just as dark as his clothes and was spiked up, sticking out at crazy angles. When he looked over at Ventus his heart raced. His eyes were the same golden hue as Master Xehanort's but they held something else as well. Something Ventus couldn't recognize, but he felt it. It was powerful and it pulled him in.

"Hopefully your next pupil," Master Xehanort said.

"Vanitas," the mysterious boy said.

 _Vanitas…_ Those words struck a cord inside.

"And you'd like to train with me? I'll let you know, I'm much stricter than Master Xehanort," Eraqus said. Vanitas laughed, a charming, yet dark sound.

"Exactly why I've come to you." The raven haired boy responded.

"Besides," Xehanort continued. "I have business to attend to in Radiant Gardens. I have no time at the present to keep up with Vanitas's training."

"Very well," Eraqus said.

Xehanort smiled.

"I hope you'll still be observing Aqua and Terra's Mark of Mastery Exam," Eraqus said.

"Of course," Xehanort said. "And who knows, you may have another candidate for the Exam."

Eraqus raised his eyebrows. "We shall see then."

Xehanort said his goodbyes. Ventus noticed Vanitas eyeing him and quickly looked away from those piercing yellow eyes, preferring to count the blades of grass around his feet.

"So how tough are you, Vanitas?" Terra asked, waltzing up to Eraqus's new pupil.

"Why don't you fight me and find out?" Vanitas challenged.

Eraqus chuckled. "Perfect. I can judge your talents right away."

Terra winked at Ventus, slinging his Keyblade up over his shoulder. They walked out to the center of the training field, clearing all training dummies to make room for their fight. Vanitas and Terra stood at opposite sides of the field, Terra in a prepared battle stance, Vanitas simply standing there calmly.

"Ready…One…Two…"

Vanitas thrust out his hand, a Keyblade materializing in his palm. It looked like a gear and matched his armor.

"Fight!"

Vanitas flew at Terra, coming down on him from above. Terra narrowly blocked his attack, thrusting him back. Vanitas jabbed his Keyblade into Terra's side and he fell on the ground, instantly jumping up and circling around him. Ventus watched from the sidelines, biting his lip in anticipation.

"You can do it, Terra!" Ventus cheered.

Terra attempted to strike Vanitas from behind but he spun around and blocked his attack, sending him flying to the ground.

"Come on, is that all ya got?" Vanitas asked with a devilish smirk.

Terra gritted his teeth and bounded up, flying at him with a powerful overhead swipe. It hit Vanitas's shoulder and deflected off his armor. He brushed it off, scowling at the scratch.

"Well, now," he growled, making one last attack.

He slashed Terra in the stomach, sprawling him out flat on the ground. Terra's Keyblade disappeared and a pool of blood started to form beneath his fallen body.

"Terra!" Ventus screamed, running onto the field.

Ventus fell down onto his knees beside his friend. Vanitas smirked down at them.

"Guess I win," he said.

Eraqus calmly walked over and raised his Keyblade up into the air. A small green orb floated above Terra and sprinkled down curing magic. He groaned, sitting up, his wound healed but his clothes still bloody.

"Go clean up," Eraqus ordered.

Terra scowled at Vanitas as he stood up.

"Come on, Ven," Terra said, storming away.

"Looks like you have some competition," Eraqus called after Terra.

Ventus stood there frozen for a moment, held by Vanitas's gaze.

"Are you coming?" Terra called back.

"Oh, um, yeah," Ventus said, running off after his friend.

Vanitas watched him leave, smiling.

"That was very impressive," Eraqus told him.

"Thank you, Master Eraqus," Vanitas said.

"I'm glad you've decided to become my pupil," he continued. "I believe you will do quite well here in the Land of Departure."

"Yes, I believe so too," Vanitas said.

"Let me show you to your room," Eraqus offered, gesturing him arm towards the house.

"Maybe later," Vanitas said. "I'd like to take a walk around the grounds alone. Helps me think."

Eraqus furrowed his eyebrows but agreed. "Alright."

Vanitas strolled off, circling around the castle. He came upon a blue haired girl meditating by a stream that flowed off the edge of the world. He leaned up against the arching entrance to the castle that was near her, noticing the faint glow of magic surrounding her, a calming aura.

She gasped, startled suddenly. She jumped up, her Keyblade appearing in her hands.

"Who are you?" she asked, pointing her Keyblade at him.

Vanitas raised his hands.

"I only wanted to introduce myself," he said. "I'm a new student here. My name is Vanitas."

Aqua scowled, lowering her Keyblade.

"I felt a dark shadow approaching me. It was you," Aqua said. "You harbor a great dark power within your heart."

"And you haven't felt the same from Terra?" Vanitas challenged.

Aqua opened her mouth, astonished. She frowned, not knowing what to say.

"I thought as much," Vanitas said. "Look, I know you three are all close. And I wouldn't want to harm your friendship. But sometimes you need to take a good hard look at how things are before you judge others."

He spun around and walked away from her, leaving her alone by the stream.

* * *

The next morning was their first official training session together. Ventus and Aqua hiked down to the training arena in the morning. Vanitas was already sitting on the edge of the field looking off at the mountains that seemed to float in the distance. Ventus stayed away from him, talking to Aqua about a strange dream he'd had the night before and ignoring the mysterious boy.

"I was on an island with all these tree houses, well, they weren't much like tree houses I guess. They were built into the mountain. It was so small, but beautiful," Ventus explained, his voice speculating.

"I've read about an island with star shaped fruit," Aqua told him.

"Yeah! It had those too," he realized.

Eraqus arrived then and they had no more time to talk. Vanitas hopped up and walked over to join them, stretching his arms up toward the hazy, blue sky.

"Where's Terra?" Eraqus asked them.

"Probably too good to train with me," Vanitas said. "I'm afraid I didn't make the best first impression."

Eraqus huffed and said, "Very well then."

He instructed them to practice their magic and stayed to observe Vanitas while Ventus went off with Aqua. Vanitas was more interested in watching Ventus than practicing himself, but he humored Master Eraqus and used limited magic. He held back his inner power that desired to whelm up every time he summoned his Keyblade. A dark, pressing force that sat in the reaches of his heart like a swamp swashing around in his stomach. It bubbled up and threatened to burst, to leap out from the tip of his Keyblade and explode in a splendorous display of shadows. But he kept it back, calming his nerves and breathing slowly and deeply. All his concentration was kept on his inner soul and detaining his true power. He had no time to watch Ventus until Master Eraqus was pleased with his fire and water conjuring.

Vanitas smirked when he watched Ventus lash out at a training dummy with his wind magic. Eraqus shook his head.

"You're doing fine, Ven," Aqua said with an encouraging smile.

"Why do you hold your Keyblade so awkwardly?" Vanitas asked, pointing his hand where the black Keyblade was held upside-down. He simply wielded it backhanded, unlike anyone else Vanitas had ever seen.

Ventus scowled.

"It's not awkward…" He argued.

Vanitas scoffed and with a flick of his wrist disintegrated the training dummy Ventus had been working on with a blast of fire magic. Ventus hated the way Eraqus beamed at his talented new pupil.

"That's enough for today," Eraqus announced, setting them free.

Ventus's Keyblade disappeared in a flash of white light and he walked off quickly. Vanitas had to jog to catch up to him but once he did he could walk leisurely beside him.

"What are you going to do with your afternoon?" Vanitas asked.

Ventus didn't look at him but Vanitas saw out of the corner of his eye the annoyed scowl Ventus was trying to hide. He was too polite to be downright rude to him, however much he wanted to be.

 _He'll change his mind,_ Vanitas thought.

"I'm going to find Terra," Ventus said. "Seeing as you guys don't like each other, maybe you shouldn't follow me."

"It's not that I don't like him," Vanitas explained. "He's the asshole,"

Ventus practically tripped over himself he was so shocked. His face was bright red and he looked away, hiding behind his strands of blonde hair.

"What the hell?! D-d-don't call him that!" Ventus stuttered.

Vanitas chuckled. "Tsk, tsk, you're so sensitive," Vanitas mentioned. He slung his arm around Ven's shoulder. "Lighten up."

Ventus shoved his arm away and hastened his step.

"Why don't you leave me alone?" The blonde complained. He ran up the steps of the castle and disappeared into the winding hallways.

Vanitas was smiling, loving the rise he'd gotten out of him. Picking on Ven was a good distraction and he only did it to entertain himself, get his mind off of more pressing matters. He strolled along the edges of the castle grounds admiring the beautiful lush greens and the sound of trickling water rushing over the rocks. He picked up a stone, feeling the smooth grey surface. This world was so drastically different than the world he was used to. Brown, dusty plateaus and dry heat. It was hell.

 _But what is this, then, since I know it will not last? Merely another prison Xehanort has placed me in, Vanitas thought. I know it will all be destroyed soon._

And that known fact was also another source of worry because those smiles he cast at Ventus were not just for show. There was a source fueling those smiles that he had never felt before. It lay hot in his cold stomach and made him feel woozy, as if he were light enough to float off the ground. Xehanort had told him that they had a connection. The extent of that connection he would never fully reveal.

 _"When the time comes, you will understand,"_ Xehanort always said.

But Vanitas was impatient when it came to that sort of thing. He wanted to understand why he felt like he knew Ventus already. Why he wanted to spend every moment with him, even now, even though he'd snubbed him and gone off searching for Terra, Vanitas wanted to just watch him, if nothing else.

Thinking about how Ventus doted after that spoiled brat disgusted him, especially since it was obvious that Terra didn't care about Ven at all, at least from what Vanitas could see. He supposed he didn't know what those three had been through. He was the outsider and in a way he knew they were all against him. Aqua acted neutrally toward him ever since he'd talked to her. It was a peaceful sort of indifference they shared. Terra didn't try to hide his hate and Vanitas was fine with that. What he wanted to change was Ven's attitude. He seemed afraid. And he shouldn't be.

He just needs to give me a chance.

He took Terra's side automatically, as if he couldn't have a differing opinion. In a way it made sense why Ventus would feel that way. Terra was like his big brother. But Vanitas would make him change. He had to. It was the reason he was here.

 _Ventus has to trust me. Otherwise, I'll have let Xehanort down._

Vanitas thought. Even though Xehanort had never treated him well, Vanitas was afraid of what would happen if he failed. It'd be far worse than anything he'd endured thus far, he knew that for sure.

What Vanitas didn't understand was why Ventus was treating him so coldly. If Xehanort was right and they did have a connection, then why didn't Ven feel it too? Vanitas surely did. And it was an odd sensation, one he couldn't put words to.

 _Maybe Master Xehanort was wrong,_ Vanitas dared to think. _Maybe there's nothing here at all._

He chucked the stone he'd been rubbing in his palm off into the clouds floating around the mountain and looked back at the castle. He wondered if Ventus had found Terra and what they were talking about.

 _Maybe, just maybe, Ventus is as afraid as I am,_ Vanitas preferred to think, because doubting Xehanort was challenging his own purpose in this world.

Ventus found Terra in the South Hall, staring out of the edge of the stone balcony. He didn't seem to be looking at anything, not even the glorious day lit mountains.

"You missed training," Ventus said, jumping up to sit on the ledge.

"I know," Terra said gruffly.

Ventus frowned, already feeling weird from the way Vanitas had treated him and not wanting to get a cold shoulder from Terra today. He needed his friend. He needed someone to explain the tightness in his chest and the hot blood that rushed to his cheeks. How he felt debilitated whenever he was around that mysterious boy and why he seemed so fascinated with him.

"I see why you don't like Vanitas," Ventus said. "He's a real creep."

"You're very observant," Terra said.

He figured from Terra's tone that he wasn't interested in talking about Vanitas then.

Ventus sighed and jumped off the ledge, hoping Terra would speak up and stop him from leaving. But he didn't.

Ventus wandered through the halls of the castle until he made his way to Aqua's room. He was hoping she would give him some advice, but she wasn't as against Vanitas as Terra was. She would probably just say something neutrally positive and blow it off, but it was worth a shot.

He knocked on Aqua's door and it took a second for her to open. She didn't open it wide and invite him in like normal. She peeked her head out from behind the door.

"Hey, Aqua," Ven said with his usual cheerful smile, even though he was far from cheerful in that moment.

"Ven," Aqua said in her nurturing tone, but there was a tinge to it that told him she didn't want him around.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"I'm working on something," Aqua said. "It's a surprise, alright. I can't have you ruining it for yourself."

She shut the door in his face and he turned around.

Why is everyone acting so weird today?

He walked back to his own room and lay in his bed until supper. There was no one in the dining hall and Ventus just stared there looking at the empty room for a good minute or two before he decided to leave. He caught Master Eraqus in the hallway.

"Hey," Ven piped up, catching his attention. "Where is everyone?"

"Aqua told me she'd be meditating instead of coming to dinner tonight," Eraqus explained. "And I haven't heard from Terra all day. I'll have a talk with him, if I could only find him."

"Oh, I suppose you're looking for him now then," Ventus guessed.

Eraqus nodded. "I have a feeling he doesn't want to be found by me however."

Ventus smiled a little.

"And what about Vanitas?" The blonde asked.

Eraqus raised his eyebrow.

"I just saw him leaving the dining hall with an apple in his hand just moments before you," Eraqus said. "I'm surprised you didn't see him."

"Oh," Ventus said. "I didn't want to. I was just wondering."

"Mmmhmm," Eraqus mused. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning then?"

Ventus nodded and made his way to his room. The day was pretty well spent by then. He lay there with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling and watching as the light shining through his window faded and changed from yellow to a deep orange and pink hue. As night descended, Ventus's eyelids seemed heavy and he yawned. Despite not doing anything, he'd neglected to find time to take a nap that day and he was exhausted. He rolled over, feeling the aches in his side from the day's training.

 _Maybe if I didn't eat so much of Aqua's cake on our days off, I wouldn't be so out of shape,_ Ventus thought right before he drifted off to sleep.

Ventus was shocked awake as he was practically pushed out of bed.

"Get your boots on, Ven. I want to show you something."

It was dark and Ventus was still half asleep as he groped around looking for his shoes. Someone shoved them into his hands and he pulled them on, yawning.

"Where are we going?" Ventus asked through his yawn, so his words were mushy.

The mysterious boy didn't answer, he simply pulled Ventus up out of bed and hurried him down the hallway before Ventus could protest. About halfway down the hall Ventus began to pull himself together and he thought about the voice that had awoken him. The dark silhouette that pulled him along had spiky hair and his hands seemed too cold. As soon as he realized who it was he tried to pull away, but it was too late.

They burst out into the night, the air warm and humid. Ventus's eyes widened as the lights from the night sky flooded down upon him. He stared up in awe as he watched the miraculous stars shoot across the blue-black sky and in that moment he hardly realized the fingers intertwined with his.

"Isn't it something?" Vanitas said.

Ventus blinked, still feeling groggy. He wondered for a moment if this was even real or if it was just another dream, like the one on the island. Something too good to be true.

"Come on," Vanitas said, tugging him down the steps. "You can see it better from the edge."

They walked out to the edge of the training field. Vanitas let go of Ven's hand and sat down to dangle his feet off the edge of the mountain. He leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky while Ventus stood there looking at him, the amazed smile on his face, as if he'd never seen anything so wonderful in his entire life.

"Have you never seen a meteor shower before?" Ventus asked.

Vanitas shook his head. "Not where I'm from. Everything about your world is glorious. You're lucky."

Ventus was still standing awkwardly behind him, uninterested in the stars and more interested in Vanitas. He realized finally that he'd been staring for a couple of minutes and was glad Vanitas was too preoccupied to notice, but he still blushed.

Vanitas noticed Ven's face reddening for the night was bright under the celestial stars streaking through the sky.

"Why don't you sit down?" Vanitas asked.

"Oh," Ventus said, tensing up and standing straight as a board.

Vanitas grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the grass, where Ven crumbled in a heap. He gathered himself, crossing his legs. Vanitas turned around to face him, leaning closer.

"You know, it's not fair to hate me by default," Vanitas told Ven.

"Who said I hated you?" Ventus asked.

Vanitas shrugged. "No one. You just act like it."

Ventus bit his lip. He looked down at his hands sitting in his lap and rubbed his fingers, just fidgeting for something to do.

"Why did you bring me out here with you?"

Vanitas glanced away from the dark night and looked into his blue eyes, seeing the sparkle of the meteors reflected in his pupils. His eyes were questioning and held an anticipation that was pressing at the seams.

He knew he couldn't say what he was feeling. _I_ _wanted to share something beautiful with you, Ventus._ – who knows how he would react to that. So instead he gave an ambiguous answer.

"I don't know." Vanitas spoke. It was not enough to please Ventus, not nearly.

"There must be a reason. People don't just drag people out of bed in the middle of the night for no reason."

"I don't ask you so many questions," Vanitas said.

"No, so far you've only told me how I should feel," Ventus countered.

"But you can't deny that my advice is viable," Vanitas said.

Ventus hated that grin on his face, it made his blood hot and whelm up to his cheeks and it made his stomach flutter. He just wanted to hide so this stranger—because Vanitas was practically a stranger—wouldn't see him looking so embarrassed.

Vanitas scooted beside him and leaned back, looking up at the stars again. When Ventus glanced over, the look on Vanitas's face could only be interpreted as smug. He was happy, seeming to think he'd won this argument.

Instead of causing more conflict, Ventus resigned himself to lying down on his back and watching the stars. He could see Vanitas sitting next to him, only his back and his spiky hair and his hands which picked apart the thick, dark grass.

The ground was soft and the warm summer breeze blew around them, the sweet scent of water and flowers lulled him into a peaceful state of mind. He closed his eyes, thinking it would be only for a moment, but ended up swept away to another world. An island with star shaped fruit and a young boy whose face, if not for his young blue eyes, was identical to Vanitas. Something about that little boy was fascinating and Ventus felt drawn to him, felt like he was the answer to everything he'd always been searching for because as far back as he could remember there had been a void. He was always searching to fill that void but had come across no answers.

 _ **Maybe the answer is right there and you just don't see it…**_

"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead."

"Whoa!"

Ventus sat up suddenly and smiled as he looked up to see Aqua's smiling face. She laughed softly and Ventus rubbed the back of his head.

It was morning and everyone was down by the field for training, even Terra, who glared off into the distance thoughtfully. He didn't want to be there and Eraqus had obviously dragged him down to the field. Vanitas was there too, but from the knowing way he looked over at Ventus he knew that he'd been left there all night for Aqua to find alone the next morning. It'd be their secret, he supposed, and something he wasn't eager to repeat. Although, Vanitas was right. He shouldn't hate him just because he was a stranger.

 _Maybe Terra's wrong for hating him. Maybe Vanitas deserves a chance._

Ventus stood up and saw Vanitas eyeing him up and down and bit his lip. It made Ventus blush and hide his face, he wasn't quite sure why, but the hungry way he looked at him made him uncomfortable because he didn't understand the hot tingling that spread across his skin.


	2. A Midsummer Brekfast

AN: So this is the chapter where IM actually writing, so there will be changes to style. ALSO, Vanitas wears his helmet in this!

* * *

Vanitas couldn't help wondering what his motivation was.

When he was taken in by Master Xehanort, he couldn't find any memories in his head, so he had to rely on his heart. He felt strong and powerful, such things he felt he had once lacked, now fully at his command. The raven haired boy had been taught that darkness was his very being. He had thought such talents would be put to use, but he thought wrong.

Master Xehanort had other plans, spying and gathering information. To seek out the weak ones and useful ones. Aqua seemed somewhat nice, and only in a way that she wasn't necessarily mean to him, occasionally giving a neutral sentence or two when they crossed paths in their free time. She had a great control over her darkness, and was talented at keeping it that way. It was the one thing he would admit that the both of them had in common: the ability to stay calm and collected. She, along with Master Erauqs were the only two he considered somewhat dangerous, though nothing he couldn't handle if the time came to clash.

Terra was brash, but not without reason. He was slipping, it seemed. Wanting to prove himself, and Vanitas couldn't see why. All of them were weak light users, so all Terra needed to be, was just _less pathetic_.

And speaking of pathetic, Ventus was by far the biggest idiot of them all. He was weak, made so many mistakes and Vanitas could easily break him, he was just so fragile. Keeping him around from a logical standpoint was useless: it'd take a miracle to get Ventus to be actually worth anything.

That's what his head told him, at least.

 _The way he holds his keyblade is ridiculous._

 _How can he be friends with Terra, what does he see in that hothead?_

Looking at it from those angles, if it wasn't for Master Xehanort's orders, Vanitas would be walking miles in the opposite direction. These things, though, were only from a logical view. These strange feelings definitely weren't logical.

Observing Ventus was interesting to him. The way he did things, and said things, were fascinating. The way his eyes seemed to contain billions of stars, reflecting them in the night sky. His hands would get clammy and chest would flutter sometimes around Ventus, which, for a warrior, is not something to be proud of.

Something was just different about Ventus than the others. He seemed to bring to the surface a part of Vanitas he never thought he had. He knew he couldn't judge Ventus strictly on the basis of what he had seen so far: it'd be hypocritical after warning Aqua to not judge him after one conversation alone. Vanitas wanted to see more of the blonde he could just not stop staring at. Even if everything in his head told him Ventus was weak, that didn't stop Vanitas from liking him. In this safe environment, Ventus was allowed to be a novice. The thought of Ventus being hurt made him uncomfortable, so it was good that it was that way.

When he looked at Ventus, something seemed to click deep inside him. Vanitas knew he was here on Master Xehanort's orders, though Ventus was the reason Vanitas enjoyed staying.

 _And that meant attending breakfast._

Every day, Ventus would walk past the closed door of Vanitas' room on the way to meals. He'd never been inside the room, and would probably never. Who _knows_ what Vanitas did in his free time. It sent shivers down his spine.

So when Ventus arrived at the table to eat that day after morning training, he was surprised that Vanitas sat quietly in the seat next to him.

"You've decided to finally join us at one of our meals." Erauqs commented, placing down a bowl of fruits on the table before taking a seat in his chair. Aqua was in her seat and quickly glanced at Vanitas', not saying anything before eyes darting away.

"Eating in my room was getting boring." Vanitas replied with a shrug. He'd snuck into the kitchen after every meal to steal leftovers so he wouldn't be forced to eat with all of them. Any extra time spent having to interact with Terra more than he needed to was a repulsive thought in of itself. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

His eyes glanced over at Ventus, who was fiddling with the red hem of his shirt. Vanitas couldn't help but think of the time they spent last night.

 _After a while, Ventus had fallen asleep. Vanitas though, always found he didn't really need to sleep. It wasn't that he was incapable, he could just never fully rest his eyes when he was under Xehanort's care._

 _The cool breeze of a summer night calmly weaved around him as he sat beside the unconscious boy in the grass. He looked down at the blonde, Ventus' breaths' slow and soft. Something stirred inside him looking at Ventus like this. It was what he had felt before, and yet different somehow._

 _Ventus must trust me in some way to be so stupid as to fall asleep next to someone he barely knows, to show me such a side._

 _Vanitas thought. It fueled that odd feeling inside him, and planted him to the spot, not wanting to move away from the boy he just couldn't call a stranger. Maybe he was that to Ventus, but he wanted, no needed it to be more than that. Ventus was important to him… somehow. Was he that important to Ventus?_

 _His stomach wasn't cramping at the moment, so that was a relief. He was constantly hungry, the darkness in him moving restlessly. Ever since coming here, he'd relied on scraps, and no matter how much he ate, his stomach would remind him that he'd never be entirely full. It was really starting to get annoying. It was much easier to ignore when he was talking with Ventus, seeing as whenever Vanitas' would slightly poke Ventus, the blonde would give the most satisfying reactions._

 _However, right then and there, Ventus had said nothing, his face pale in the moonlight. It remained beautifully neutral and pleasantly calm. This world was just so kind and charming, it had that tranquil effect on everything on it. The grass, the trees – life thrived here. Ventus was a seed planted in gentle soil, perfect for the struggling plant. His roots would grow slowly, probably messing up a few times, but in the end, he would flourish. Somehow, someway._

 _Vanitas on the other hand, was a thorn that had been thrown onto rocky, clay soil and was made strong by the hardships it struggled through to survive through in such a uncaring wasteland. It was called a Graveyard for a reason._

 _Perhaps things could be different here. Many things already were._

 _At night, the desert was too cold to go outside, so he had been forced to stay inside caves for shelter against the harsher windstorms the dark night brought. He hadn't been able to glance out or peak._

 _Here, the absolute beauty was plain to see. It was astounding how many stars had glittered against the blue oil like shimmering diamonds on a canvas. With each stroke of brush, a meteor dashed across the sky on a gracing line before fading into silent brilliance. Vanitas couldn't see them after that: he would still remember their brief performance._

 _Vanitas' couldn't help but admire how cute the blonde looked when he wasn't fighting with the raven haired boy. He liked sitting and watching Ven, enjoying the act of being in his presence, if nothing else. Just the two of them under the stars._

"Hey Vanitas?" Ventus said, snapping Vanitas out of his thoughts. Right: eating. Socializing. Not spacing out.

Ventus shifted around uncomfortably under Vanitas' gaze, trying to get that weird feeling of heat gathering at his skin to stop. He was so restless, aching to touch something other than the silverware he was currently using to entertain his fingers.

Vanitas just always made this feeling worse by just looking at the blue-eyed boy, if possible. Sometimes, it looked as if Vanitas wanted to eat him, which was a very ludicrous thought in of itself.

"What?" Vanitas snapped, turning his eyes away from Ventus and quickly finding something new to look at. Apples. Food. He reached over and nabbed a apple from the fruit basket. He reached it up to his face.

Ventus held his breath, waiting to see what was behind the mask.

… And his hand just passed through. Odd. Ventus felt strangely disappointed, then remembered Vanitas had asked him a question.

"Nothing, just Terra usually sits there." Ventus said, trailing off. Vanitas grunted in reply.

 _He hasn't had any proper meals since coming here. I'd probably look like a chocobo steak to him or something._

Ventus thought. He couldn't see Vanitas' eyes, but it wasn't hard to feel them pouring into him.

"It's fine if you sit there, though, I don't think Terra will mind. We're all just students after all, needing one more chair at the table is to be expected." Aqua said smiling, trying to be polite.

 _Of course Terra will mind. Your friend isn't as "light" as you think, Aqua._

Vanitas thought, smirking and crossing his arms in self smug satisfaction. He took another bite of his apple in success.

"Breakfast is ready-" Terra said, walking into the door and pausing a bit when his eyes focused on Vanitas sitting there. Vanitas smiled annoyingly under his mask, waving at the brunet. Terra frowned for a second before placing down the meal plates at the table and begrudgingly pulled up another chair from a nearby closet.

Ventus saw the small exchange and sighed, turning to his plate. His eyes darted in front of Vanitas', to see he still had nothing set down in front of him. He wasn't the only one to notice.

"Terra, could you explain why you haven't served Vanitas?" Erauqs asked calmly. He thought the small interactions should be left alone, not letting it affect his tone. The four of them would be training together for an undefined period of time, so they would have to learn to get along.

"I've been preparing 4 plates ever since Ventus got here, and with Vanitas' not coming to any other meals, I thought I should stop wasting food." Terra said.

"That's not an excuse, Vanitas, albeit a student, is still a guest." Erauqs said. "I know he hasn't had the chance to make any meals, but that is something that can be decided later." Instead of just Erauqs cooking, each person took turns. Nobody trusted Ventus with anything extravagant, so he mostly helped out on the side when he could.

"Master-" Terra tried to argue. He didn't even dare glance at Vanitas, who was silently enjoying the unwelcome attention Terra was getting. He took another bite of his apple, having "won" this battle. His entertainment was cut short however, by the sound of Ventus' chair sliding against the floor.

"Vanitas can have my plate. I'll just go make something else." the blonde said, getting up and turning towards the kitchen.

Vanitas sat baffled for a moment, before standing up too.

"I'll go help him out." Vanitas said awkwardly before following the blonde into the other room.

Aqua looked slightly agitated, raising an eyebrow.

"I should go after him." Aqua said, reasoning a third party needed to be involved.

"You will sit and finish your food Aqua. You missed dinner yesterday." Master Erauqs stated. He sat calmly, taking a sip of some herbal tea.

"Of course, Master." Aqua said, nodding. She trusted her Master's words, but was still unconvinced. There was something about Vanitas that was more dangerous than his on the surface unattractive personality. Why couldn't Master Erauqs see the shadow Vanitas brought to every room?

* * *

In the kitchen, Ventus pulled loaves out of the bread box quietly, not even reacting when Vanitas entered the room.

"Why did you get involved?" Vanitas asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. His golden eyes followed Ventus' every movement.

"Because you two are obviously fighting and forcing Terra to make you food was not going to help the situation." Ventus said simply.

"Yeah, so?" Vanitas said, shrugging.

"Yeah, so, that's not really a nice thing to do," Ventus said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He put the bread in the toaster, pushing down the lever. He turned around to face Vanitas, leaning his hands on the counter.

"It's not like I'm picking fights with Terra. He got upset when I beat him. Was I supposed to hold back in order to please him? We were fighting on Master's request. I didn't want to show disrespect." Vanitas explained, trying to defend himself.

In truth, he was sort of holding back, not using darkness in order to not set off anyone. But the lie rested in respect. He needed to prove himself and show himself worthy enough to compete for the title of Master. He didn't respect Terra, not by a long shot, but he needed Ventus to believe that he did.

Ventus contemplated the raven haired boy's answer. He raised some good points, but Terra was still a closer friend, bias shining over logic. He'd never seen Terra so displaced from everything, avoiding Master Erauqs all day yesterday. Vanitas had probably gotten a good hit at his pride.

"Fine, but you could at least be trying to make peace with him. You didn't have to follow me in here, okay?" Ventus said with a sigh.

"I don't know, I've just never been in a room like this before." Vanitas said, plucking the the screen of the microwave with his fingers.

"Wait, you've never been in a kitchen?" Ventus asked, confused. That certainly was not something he expected to come out of the other boy's mouth.

"Are they important?" Vanitas asked, not getting it.

Ventus face palmed before sighing.

"Yes, of course they are important! Have you never cooked food before?" Ventus asked.

"What's it to you?" Vanitas said defensively.

"Here we take turns cooking. I can't really handle everyone on my own, so I help out sometimes. Today Terra was on breakfast, so Aqua's on lunch, and Erauqs is on dinner." Ventus explained. The toaster beeped and the toast popped out.

"Cooking? Make food? I didn't come here to _cook._ " Vanitas said distastefully. He pushed off the counter, starting to walk away.

"Let me guess – you don't know how, and you're too scared to admit it. That for once, I'm better at something." Ventus smirked, crossing his arms. He had Vanitas there.

Vanitas scoffed and stopped in his tracks, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"Terra's food probably isn't even edible," Vanitas said.

Ventus huffed, fed up with this feud.

"Look, I want to give you a chance and you constantly being at odds with Terra is really not helping." Ventus said, glad he finally got it out. Vanitas stopped in his tracks, body going rigid.

Ventus looked for a reaction, a change in body language and for once, the ravenet was speechless. The raven haired boy turned to face him again.

"You actually mean it?" Vanitas said with a small smile of disbelief, raising an eyebrow. Something jumped inside him at Ventus' words. There was that strange feeling again, whatever it was.

Ventus' face grew hot, startled at such a change. Vanitas actually sounded _hopeful_.

"Yes, I do, stop being so annoying," Ventus admitted, anger fading away and a small blush on his cheeks. He looked down, trying to avoid Vanitas' gaze. Vanitas laughed at the attempt.

Vanitas' own laugh didn't sound demeaning or unkind, much to his surprise. Amused, kindhearted - those words more harmonious with the sound. It seemed Ventus brought out this side of him he hadn't really known. It was small, but give it time, he could grow to like it. He walked over, coming to stand beside the blonde.

"But being awesome is just part of my charm," Vanitas teased, grinning and wrapping his arm around Ventus' shoulder. Ventus scoffed at that statement, subconsciously leaning into the touch Vanitas brought. Vanitas smiled silently, finding satisfaction at the small display of acceptance. His heart beat faster in approval. Closer was definitely better.

Realizing he was practically leaning on the other boy, Ventus' eyes widened and he quickly scooted away, shaking the odd sensation off. He could just feel his cheeks blushing crazy and heart beating fast. Strangely, it had felt nice, Vanitas' offering comfort to a lonely part of himself that he hadn't known existed.

Vanitas frowned. Did Ventus still fear him? He felt something inside him start to cramp. He needed Ventus to trust him, and even if he said he'd give Vanitas a chance, he needed Ventus to actually believe in him, otherwise he would fail master Xehanort.

"Aren't you a little too jumpy for a keyblade wielder?" Vanitas said. "You've got to learn to get rid of that fright if you want the world to respect you,"

If Ventus hadn't known Vanitas' for being so harsh, he'd sworn there was a bit of sentiment to Vanitas' words, like he actually cared for Ventus' safety. The other keyblade wielder had expressed feelings about not wanting to be wrongly judged, especially because he was new. It all just clicked in the blonde's mind. Vanitas was a new student at a foreign place, dumped here not knowing anyone. Ventus had been in the same position, except with amnesia. He'd been scared, hurting… Deep down inside, Vanitas must've been feeling similar.

That made all of Ventus' actions earlier seem like _he_ was the jerk, not Vanitas.

"I'm sorry," Ventus whispered. His eyes were on the kitchen counter, not proud of this conclusion of his own character: being judgemental was not okay.

"What was that?" Vanitas' ear perked up, listening carefully to the blonde's next words.

"Nothing," Ventus replied, gathering up the ingredients for his sandwich. He was out of Parfas it seemed and had a surplus of Fairy Berries. An idea came to him.

"Hey Vanitas, want to bake a cake?"

* * *

"I don't understand why you do this, it's not worth the effort for one measly pastry." Vanitas said, frowning. He was mixing up the bowl fast, finding it harder the more ingredients were put in. He was _not_ losing a fight to an inanimate object.

"Once you've tasted cake, it'll be worth it, trust me." Ventus said with a smile.

"Like you even trust _me_." Vanitas scoffed bitterly. Ventus was put off a bit, not expecting such a response. It wasn't a usual witty remark, or insult; hinting at a deeper loathing. Vanitas didn't actually _care_ , did he? Ventus frowned the more he dwelled on it, putting the thought aside for later.

He crawled on the floor to the electric outlet, plugging in the mixer.

"Now, with the mixer, we need to go nice and gentle-" Ventus purposed. It was asking too much, because already Vanitas was slamming the rotating whisks into the batter.

Cake mix went everywhere, covering themselves, the floor and the walls. Vanitas blinked.

"Oh no! It's everywhere! And such a good mix too." Ventus lamented, immediately rushing to find some rags.

"Surely we can use a water or cleaning spell of some kind?" Vanitas asked, standing there dumbfounded.

"Ehh, there's this story of Erauqs' master friend having an apprentice who tried that. Let's just say it didn't work out well." Ventus said with a sigh. That, and a past experience was something he did not want to repeat.

He tossed Vanitas a towel and got out a bucket of water, getting to work. Vanitas stood there a moment, watching. Finally, it clicked in his mind and he got to work too.

Ventus scrubbed away mix right next to Vanitas on the wall, stopping to look at Vanitas closely. Vanitas always wore a helmet, and to this day, he hadn't seen the other's face. Probably none of them had, even Master Erauqs. What did he have to hide under there? How was he even going to eat with it on?

"What're you doing?" Vanitas asked, confused.

"It seems you've got some on your helmet, let me-" Ventus' fingers reached for the edges of Vanitas' helmet.

"Stop!" Vanitas jumped back and hands flew to his helmet, heart beating fast. Not his helmet. He couldn't let anyone see.

Ventus stood there, frozen in the face of such a reaction.

Vanitas' eyes darted from Ventus' in silence, rubbing the cake mix off the lense. He went back to cleaning the walls. He couldn't look at Ventus.

"... Don't ever touch my helmet." Vanitas said firmly.

"Okay." Ventus said with a small nod. He was curious. It didn't weigh down his respect for another person's privacy, though.

After a minute of mutual silence, the two were joined by Aqua, who walked into the kitchen. It did not take her long to see the giant mess they created.

"Ven? What were you two doing?!" She exclaimed.

Both boys pointed at each other and Aqua sighed.

* * *

AN: No, fairy berries don't do the same thing here I dont think, if you're wondering lol.


End file.
